The term “click chemistry” is applied to a collection of supremely reliable and self-directed organic reactions (Kolb, H. C.; Finn, M. G.; Sharpless, K. B. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2001, 40, 2004-2021). For example, the identification of the copper catalyzed azide-alkyne [3+2]cycloaddition as a highly reliable molecular connection in water (Rostovtsev, V. V.; et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2002, 41, 2596-2599) has been used to augment several types of investigations of biomolecular interactions (Wang, Q.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 3192-3193; Speers, A. E.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 4686-4687; Link, A. J.; Tirrell, D. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 11164-11165; Deiters, A.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 11782-11783). In addition, applications to organic synthesis (Lee, L. V.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 9588-9589), drug discovery (Kolb, H. C.; Sharpless, K. B. Drug Disc. Today 2003, 8, 1128-1137; Lewis, W. G.; et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2002, 41, 1053-1057), and the functionalization of surfaces (Meng, J.-C.; et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 1255-1260; Fazio, F.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 14397-14402; Collman, J. P.; et al. Langmuir 2004, ASAP, in press; Lummerstorfer, T.; Hoffmann, H. J. Phys. Chem. B 2004, in press) have also appeared.
The copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne ligation process has emerged as a unique combination of selective reactivity and “bullet-proof” scope (Rostovtsev, V. V.; et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2002, 41, 2596-2599; Tornøe, C. W.; et al. J. Org. Chem. 2002, 67, 3057-3062). The use of Cu(I) catalysts accelerates the process by factors up to 107 while preserving the inertness of both azides and alkynes toward the vast majority of functional groups and conditions that are typical of the terrestrial environment (Rostovtsev, V. V.; et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2002, 41, 2596-2599; Wang, Q.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 3192-3193). Recently, click chemistry has been employed in a clean synthesis of triazole-containing dendrimers (Wu, P.; et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2004, in press).
Polymer synthesis depends on a limited number of reactions that include many of the best examples of click reactivity. However, the champion “click” process, the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, has yet to be so employed (For examples of condensation polymers formed from non-catalyzed azide cycloaddition, among other reactions, see: N. G. Rogov, E. P. Kabanova, I. G. Gruzdeva, Ross. Khim. Zh. 1997, 41, 115-119).
What is needed is a process that employs click chemistry to construct polymeric materials, including adhesive polymeric coatings and cement. What is needed is a click chemistry process that employs di-, tri-, and tetravalent azides and alkynes to create robust, crosslinked polymers of 1,2,3-triazoles which serve to bond to metal, glass, plastic, and other surfaces as adhesive polymeric coatings or which are employable as adhesive polymeric cements for bonding such surfaces to one another.